Alabama Fooled by Oklahoma

A fake punt is followed by White's 47-yard touchdown pass that keys a 20-13 victory by the Sooners.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama played with heart but what Oklahoma did took, well, guts.

In a game that featured several big plays from programs that have combined for 13 consensus national championships and 218 years of football experience, No. 1 Oklahoma made two plays Saturday in a 20-13 win that may resonate in lore should the Sooners advance to win the national title.

Play it safe with a lead? On the road? In front of a frenzied Crimson crowd of 83,818 at Bryant-Denny Stadium?

Apparently you've never seen Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops play football poker.

The set-up: Oklahoma led, 13-3, in the third quarter when Alabama cut the lead to three on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Brodie Croyle to Triandos Luke.

The Bryant-Denny crowd kicked up the noise to rock-concert octaves and the Crimson Tide was turning.

Oklahoma got the ball back and it looked as if it would be three-and-out when the Sooners faced fourth-and-11 from their 31.

Punt, right?

Wrong.

Stoops, who learned a few sneaky tricks while serving as Steve Spurrier's defensive coordinator at Florida, pulled a fast one.

Instead of the expected kick, punter Blake Ferguson dumped a pass in the flat to Michael Thompson for a 22-yard gain to the Alabama 47.

"This was my first pass thrown in a game since ninth grade," Ferguson said.

Stoops said his staff noticed Alabama was in a block punt formation and was susceptible to the fake.

"If they were going to be that reckless, we were going to do it," Stoops said.

Yet the play after the punt fake was almost as daring, as Oklahoma's Jason White tossed a perfect pass down the left sideline to the streaking Brandon Jones for a 47-yard touchdown pass that put the Sooners ahead, 20-10.

"I feel like in some of these games away from home, you need to make some calls," Stoops said of his decision-making.

The punt fake was the kind of call that has earned Stoops the reputation as one of college football's best big-game coaches.

Last year, at Missouri, with his team trailing, 24-23, with 6:33 left, Oklahoma faked a 31-yard field-goal attempt that would have given the Sooners a two-point lead.

Instead, holder Matt McCoy took the snap and floated a touchdown pass to backup tight end Chris Chester. The Sooners made the two-point conversion and won the game, 31-24.

Saturday's fake, followed by a go-for-the-jugular scoring pass, might have been bigger under the circumstances because it all but knocked the wind out of Alabama.